An opinion we’ve heard in surgical circles is that adding a ‘bit of stress’ to teaching is a good thing. It is seen to keep students ‘on their toes’ and ‘toughen them up’ in preparation for the rigours and reality of surgical practice. So a worthy goal but is it a justifiable approach?
Researchers at Wright State University in the USA asked this question.
In brief – 4 groups of students undertaking a surgical skill:
· no observation
· observation alone
· observation with encouragement
· critical observation
Observation with encouragement came out tops in terms of surgical skill and reduced stress. The critical observation was worst for both – actually worse than not having a supervisor at all.
So come on supervisors – give encouragement a try! Is this a generalizable research finding – does it matter? Think about patient safety for a moment and ask whether we really have anything to lose?
Reference
Flinn JT, Miller A, Pyatka N, Brewer J, Schneider T, Cao CGL. The effect of stress on learning in surgical skill acquisition. Medical Teacher. 2016, 38: 897 – 903